Collapsible bed structure



S. R. SMITH.

CYOLLAPSIBLE BED STRUCTURE.

www "LY '9' Patented Apr. 12,1921..v

s. R. SMITH'.

COLLAPSIBLE BED STRUTURE.

APPLICAI'ION FILED JULY 21, 1919- Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

SHEET 2.

2 SHEE'i S- srA'rEs ATENT OFFICE.

SAM R. SMITH, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

COLLAPSIBLE BED STRUCTURE. A

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Apr. 12, 1921.

Application filed J'nly 21, 19.19. Serial No. 313,103.

and useful Improvements in Collapsible Bed Structures and the like, ofwhich the following is a specification.

rlhis invention relates to beds'and the main object is to provide acollapsible bed of a character capable of being readily transported incompact form in an automobile or other vehicle and supported for useeither on or apart from the vehicle, together with means for supportinga tent or covering of suit able and ample dimensions over the bed.

An object is to provide a structure which has sectional side and endrails, and legs which are adapted to be quickly and easily assembledtogether for use and when so assembled may be held sufficiently rigid toinsure the comfort and safety of the occuant.

p A further object is to provide a bed of the character referred to inwhich the bed proper, or springs, may be adjustably supported forincreasing or decreasing the tension thereof according to the weight ofthe occupants, thus providing resiliency in the springs in desireddegrees and rigidity in the supporting frame.

A further object is to provide a bed structure which by the duplicationof some of the main parts may be utilized for forming a multiple bedtent capable of use for housing and serving an entire family, the entirestructure being readilyv assembled and disassembled as in the case of asingle bed and carried in compact form on a vehicle. Other objects mayappear as the description progresses.

I accomplish the above objects by means of the structure illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, forming a part of this application, in whichsimilar characters of reference are employed for indicating the same orlike parts. In said drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a single bed in which my improvementsare shown.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section of the same,

taken longitudinally of the bed.

Figs. 3 and 3a are perspective views of different forms of cornerconnectors for holding the members of the bed together.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a combined bed and tent in which the'structure shown 1n Fig. 1 is employed'.

Fig. 5 is a plan of a multiple bed arrangement in which the parts ofFig. 1, are duplicate and slightly rearranged for providing four bedssymmetrically arranged about a common point.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a combined bed and tent of the form andcharacter shown in Fig. 5.

In the consideration of this invention, reference 1s had to my formerapplication Y for bed structures, Vliled April 18, 1919, Serial Number292,490.

For campingpurposes especially, a bed structure should be collapsibleand composed of as few parts as will be consistent with comfort, safetyand convenience, and'to this end I have provided a structure which hasthe features mentioned and at the Sametime l is as comfortable as apermanent bed and may be transported on an automobile running board in acompact package and vvery quickly assembled and disassembled. y

Such a structure is shown clearly in Fig. 1, and `includes side rails S,S, each comprising a pair of tubular members 1,1, the adjacent andabutting ends of which are vslidable in a telescoping tube 2, and the`outer ends of said members 1, 1, are fitted over stems 3, 3, of aspecial form of corner connector, or

fitting, C. rFhe end rails E, E, are prefer-v ably- 4of angle irons 1,4, and one side of each of said angle irons at each end "is bent to forma socket 5 to receive the right angle stems 6, 6, of the corner fittingsC.

Legs L,`L, etc., of suitable length, also of tubular formationareprovided for attachment to the corner fittings C, C, and the upperends of said legs are fitted over the depending stems 7, 7 of saidfittings. The

legs at one end' of the bed maybe shorter than the. legs at the otherend so that the one end may be supported on the running board of anautomobile while the opposite end restsy upon the ground. It will beobserved that in Fig. 3, the lower stem 7 of the corner fitting C, ispointed so that the same may be driven into the ground and one of thesefittings may be placed at the` lower ends of the legs L, with thevertical stems 8 thereof inserted in the legs, thus preventing themovement Vo f the legs and insuring rigidity 0f the structure. When thebed is partially held on the Vehicle running board, as stated, the stems7, of the j fittings C, may be inserted in suitable holes in the runningboard so as to hold the bed thereon. 'Y Y The fittings C, may have two,three, four, five or siX of the stems thereon, as necessary, and thecentral portion 9 thereof is cubical in form and the sides ofthe cubeserve as abutments against which the tubular frame members are held.

A spring mattress M, composed of linked wires l() and coil springs 1l issuspended between thel end rail E, of the head ofthe bed and anintermediate rail I, which eX- tends transversely of the structurenearthe foot of the bed, rail l, being connected with the foot rail E, bymeans of a .pair of bolts B, the heads l2 of which rest against'the webof the angle iron rail I, and the bolts eX- tendingthrough the end railE, and having nuts ldthereon with handles lll, by means of which thenuts may be turned on the bolts for increasing or decreasing the tensionof the mattress M. `Said mattress thus serves to hold the structuretogether for use when lheld in tension as described.

The head and foot of the bed have vertical tubular members 15,extending'substantially above the level of the mattress M and theirlower ends telescope the vertical stems 8 of the fittings C. while theirupper ends are open to vreceive the bentends 17 of transverse head andfoot rails ll and F. Y

A tent, or suitable cover, t, as shown in Fig. l may be supported on thehead and foot rails H and F, by means of oppositely inclined tubularrafter rails 18 held in Ts 19 on the railsH and and connected at theiradjacent ends by means of the conneet-ors 20, each set of rafter tubesl8-l8, being connected transversely of the Vstructure by means of ridgetubes 2l, thus forming a'slreleton frame for the tent, the ridge ofwhich is in the center of the bed. In such a tent, the ends and sidesofV the tent t, may be extended only to the level of the end and siderails, as shown in el., or to the ground, if de'sira "le, and the loweredges of the tent tied to the frame at suitable points` ln thev form ofstructure shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the members i8 and 2l, are eliminatedand one corner of the head of the bed is built up or extended for acenter pole for the tent t, the four beds being symmetrically Y arrangedaround the center pole with the end and side members arranged as shownand connected by means of the fittings C, Cords 22, may be extendedfrom; the top of Vthe centervpole 23 to one of the foot corners Vof eachof the beds, as indicated 1n broken lines in Fig. G, and from thenceextended to the ground and stalred in the usual manner, as shown.-Partition curtains 24C, may also be .suspended from the top of the tentand attached to the bed structure so as to divide the interior of thetent'into separateV bed compartments, and each of the-compartments mayhave a separate entrance opening as shown for one of the compartments inFig. 6. Y

lt will be understood that the same struce is employed for the structureshown in lugs. l and 6, but that a multiplicity of parts is required forthe latter, while only a relatively few parts are necessary for theformer structure. ln other words, a complete equipment may include allthe parts necessary for the multiple bed tent shown in Fig. 6, and oneor more of the single bed tents may be formed of the same elements ,sedin the larger structure. f

WhenY collapsed, the various parts are grouped and placed in parallelpositions, the spring mattress liti is folded into compact form, and allof the parts may thenbe rolled into a relatively small package with thetent used as a wrapper for the parts, though a bag maybe provided forinclosing` and holding all of the parts' if desirable.

.The form of iittingshown in llig. 3 is especially adaptable for amultiple bed structure as extra legs and connections may be provided atintervals for reinforcing the bed structure where the joints aremade,and where a tent is not used, as for instance on a screen perch,two or more beds may beA grouped into parallel positions and con nectedtogether, thus reducing the num-ber of parts required.A for assemblingan equal number of separate beds.

`W hat l claim is:

l. A canopy bed structure including-end rails of ln-shaped crosssection, siderails for spacing said endv rails, connectors at thecorners for holding said sine rails together, said end rails havingsockets formed in the vincluded angle between the sides, and said otherarms projecting transversely into thev sockets of said end rails, otherarms projecting downwarcly therefrom, legs having sockets the upper endsthereof, telescopically fitting said arms, other arms project# ingrupwardly therefrom, and head and foot members having soclrets engagingsaid last mentioned arms.

lcrligned at Los Angeles, Los YAngeles county, California, this 26th dayof June,

Y SAM R, Sli/HTH. In presence of- M, BRUNDAGE, APauline L. MACK.v

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